SRI International has received a pair of contracts worth a combined $90 million to help the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority assess compounds that have potential to treat people exposed to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons.
The company said Wednesday that both contracts have a base period of five years and cover nonclinical research services such as pharmacologic analysis and safety testing of various CBRN medical countermeasures.
SRI will work to help the agency transition potential agents from early-stage discovery into clinical trials through a Food and Drug Administration-approved investigational new drug application.
“SRI is pleased to be able to expand our ongoing relationship with BARDA, offering additional testing capabilities to thoroughly evaluate the safety of potential medical countermeasures before they are tested in humans,” said Deborah Bunin, director of molecular toxicology at SRI’s biosciences division.
Brunin will be the principal investigator under a contract to help the agency develop MCMs.
The second contract will involve the application, development and validation of analytical methods used to evaluate the biological distribution and identification of dose levels for drug efficacy.
Carol Green, director of preclinical development at SRI, will lead the second project as principal investigator.
BARDA, a component of the Department of Health and Human Services, develops medical countermeasures as part of efforts to protect civilians from health issues that result from exposure to biological, chemical, radiological and radionuclide agents.
